Sponging machine



y 1929. G. ROTHHOLZYET AL .72l,136

SPONGING MACHINE Filed Nov. 1, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Ciusmv ROTH/1012. BY W/z l IZM R0 71/10; Z

ATTORNEY y 1929- I G. ROTHHOLZ ET AL 1.221336 SPONGING MACHINE Filed Nov. 1, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mummy! 1 ENTOR GUSTHV urn/10.22

ATTORNEYS July 16, 1929.

G. ROTHHOLZ ET AL SPONGING MACHINE Filed Nov. 1, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ym ok THHOLZ IN GUST/1v 0 ILL/0M Rom/1012 ATTORNEY 5 Patented July 16, 1929.

Ul-TED STATES GUSTAV ROTl-IHOLZ, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, AND WILLIAM A. ROTHI-IOLZ, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y. I

sroneme MACHINE.

Application filed November Our invention relates to a new and improved sponging machine.

One of the objects of our invention is to produce a machine which can be used practically continuously so that it will have a large capacity.

Another object of our invention is to provide a sponging machine having heating apparatus such as a steam chest or the like combined with two sets of operating mechanism for moistening and otherwise treating the cloth, so that a web of cloth can be treated, rolled up and allowed to cool, and a second web of cloth can be operated upon while the first web is cooling.

Another object of our invention is to provide a steam cylinder for moistening the cloth, which shall have an improved stuffing box.

Another object of our invention is to pro vide a machine of simple and efficient construction.

Other objects of our invention will beset forth in the following description and drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, it being understood'that the above general statement of the objects of our invention is intended merely to generally eX- plain the same and not to limit it in any manner.

Fig. 1 is'a side elevation of the improved machine.

Fig. 2 is a detail elevation showing the steam cylinder together with certain of the operating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33' of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 4: is a sectional viewon the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. 1

Fig. 5 is a sectional view'on the line 55 of Fig. 4. V

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6 -6 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 7 shows a detail view of the drive.

The web of cloth C may be in the form of a loose pilerat the right-hand side of the machine. This web 0 is then led over the roller 1, under theroller 2 and then over the roller 3. The rollers 1 and 2 are ordinary tension rollers of any suitable and well known type, which aid in keeping the web of cloth taut. The web of cloth is then led over the steam box 4:. This steam box 4 is maintained at theproper temperature by means of steam which is caused to circulate 1, 1927. Serial No. 230,220.

the proper temperature before it is led over 5 the moistening cylinder 5.

As the web of cloth is led around the first moistening cylinder 5, it is joined by the leader cloth C which is wound up upon the roller 7. This leader cloth C passes over the roller 8 and then passes underneath the web C, at the underside of the moistening cylinder 5. The roller 7 is provided with any suitable tension device so that the webs (J and C are wound up spirally upon the cylinder 5.

While the first web of cloth'C is being treated upon the cylinder 5, in order to steam it or, cool it or the like, a second web of cloth C can be led between the rollers 1' and 2 and over the roller 3, The rollers 1', 2' and 3 correspond in function to the rollers 1, 2 and 3 so that themachine generally consists of two like halves; The second or lefthand web of cloth C can pass over the steam box 4 in adirection reverse to the one previously described and this second web can then be wound upon the cylinder 5, which corresponds in function to the cylinder .5. Thesecond leader cloth is unwound from the roller 7 which corresponds in function to the roller7.

A motor M of any suitable type is mount ed upon a shaft provided with a gear 50 The secondary shaft'lO is provided with a hand wheelll, and a suitable double-throw clutch of any suitable type (not shown'in the drawings) is provided for connecting the secondary shaft 10 to the sprocket 12 which is driven by the chain 11. The clutch connecting the driven shaft 10 to the sprocket 12 can be of any suitable; type so as'to permit the operation of, the driven shaft 10 at two different speeds, namely, at high speed and at low speed. Since clutches of this type are in themselves old and well known and form no part of our invention, we have omitted the illustration thereof from the drawings, for the sake of clearness. The cylinder 5 is mounted upon a hollow shaft 33 provided with a gear 14 which meshes with a smaller gear 15 upon the driven shaft shaft 10 by means of an ordinary shift lever 20 so that said gear 15 either meshes with an idler gear which meshes with the lefthand gear ldor with the right-hand gear 21. The gear 15 can be connected to shaft 10 by any well-known connection for the purpose. Thus the shaft 10 may be provided with a key slidably fitting in a slot of the gear 15.

The right-hand gear 21 is mounted upon a shaft 22 provided with a sprocket 23 which is connected by means of a chain 2 1 to the sprocket 26 of the shaft 27, upon which the second'cylinder 5 is located. This shaft 27 is provided with a gear 28 which meshes with a smaller gear 29 upon the shaft 17 This shaft 17 is provided with a hand wheel 18 which can be utilized by the operator for bringing the second cylinder 5 to a rapid stop, after this has been disconnected from the driven shaft 10.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 2 the cylinder 5 is provided with perforations 30 through which steam can be forced to heat and moisten the cloth. As shown in Fig. 3 this steam can be caused to enter through the pipe 31 at a pressureof about to pounds per square inch from any suitable boiler and the same is then caused to pass through the hollow shaft 33 to the inner perforated cylinder 34:, and then out throughv the perforations 30.

The temperature within the cylinder 5 can be raised and be properly maintained by means of superheated steam which passes through the coil 35. As shown in Fig. 4:, the super-heated steam passes from the boiler before mentioned (not shown in the drawings) through the pipe 36 so that the coil 35 will always maintain the cylinder 5 at the proper temperature, in order to prevent the steam issuing fromthe perforations 34 from condensing within the cylinder 5.

The steam which passes through the inlet pipe 36 passes through the heating coil 35 and then out through the return pipe 37 into the chamber 38, then into the hollow shaft 33 and out through the lateral outlet pipe 39 by means of a suitable port.

The hollow shaft 33 is mounted in bearings 40 which are connected to the frame F of the machine. One of these hearings is shown in Fig. 4.

In order to prevent any leakage of the 44; having a gland or follower 4.5.

steam passing into the heating coil 35, an improved stufling box 41 is provided. This stuffing box 41 is provided with the usual gland or follower 42 to compress the packing material. The casing 43 ofthe stuffing box is provided with a second stuffing bplx T e glands 42 and 4-5 are slid ably mounted upon their respective adjacent parts and bolts B of any suitable type can be utilized, as shown. in Fig. 2, for forcing the glands 42 and 45 inwardly and for holding them stationary while the shaft 33, can freely revolve.

The cloth which is led to the cylinder 5 for example, is first heated to a suitable temperature by being passed over the steam box 4 and it is then led over and wound upon the cylinder 5 while steam is caused to pass out of the cylinder 5 until the said stem passes through the outer. layer or winding of the cloth which has been rolled up upon the cylinder 5 by the operation of the machine. The steam supplied through the pipe 31 is then immediately shut off and the interior of the cylinder 5 is then immediately subjected to a vacuum by means of the vacuum pump V which is connected by means of the pipe 32 to the interior of the hollow shaft 33. The vacuum pump V is driven by the motor M which may be an electric motor of any suitable type, by means of the chain 51 which is connected to sprockets on the shaft 8 and the shaft of pump V.

The vacuum utilized may be 10 to 15 inches of mercury; The vacuum pump V is operated for about seven minutes until the cloth forthe cooled and dried cloth C and this is provided with hearing pins which rest upon the adjacent frame member F.

The roller 7 is provided with brake or tension members 6.0 which are operated by the handle 61.

The chain 11 shown in Fig. 1, is for the purpose of providing the low speed drive for the shaft 10. The shaft 50 which operates the roller 7 by means of an intermediate chain drive 52, has its shaft suitably actuated from the shaft 8'. The roller 8 corresponds in function to the roller 8.

The cylinders 5 and 5 are similar in structure and function. Thus, the hollow shaft 27 is similar to the hollow shaft 33 previously mentioned, and it is provided with similar stuffing boxes and the like.

The pipe 32 is suitably connected to the shafts 33 and 27. f

The shaft 8 and the shaft of pump V are provided with sprockets connected by a chain 51.

The roller WV corresponds to the roller WV. The roller 7 can be connected to its shaft by a suitable clutch (not shown) so that its operation is similar to that of roller 7. Each of these rollers 7 and 7 is free to turn when the leader cloth is being unwound thereof and is connected to its shaft to be positively operated to rewind the leader cloth thereon.

VVe have shown a preferred embodiment of our invention, but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions could be made without departing from its spirit.

WVe claim 1. A sponging machine comprising a stationary steam chest, perforated cylinders located at opposite sides of said steam chest at fixed distances therefrom, operating mechanism adapted to separately operate said perforated cylinders to wind up thereon a web of cloth which has been-led over said steam chest, rolls of leader cloth respectively associated with said perforated cylinders, operating mechanism adapted to separately actuate said rolls, and take-off mechanism for the cloth located at opposite sides of said steam chest, so that a web of cloth can be led in one direction over said steam chest to one of said perforated cylinders, while a roll of cloth wound up on the other cylinder is being treated thereon.

2. In a sponging machine, the combination of a stationary steam chest, perforated cylinders mounted on shafts located on opposite sides of said steam chest at fixed distances therefrom, a driving shaft locatedon a level lower than the level of said steam chest, a driven shaft connected to said driving shaft, and controllable connecting means low shaft terminates, the space between said hollow shaft and the adjacent inner wall of the bearing being closed bya stufling box, said'hollow bearing having an outlet port for the exhaust steam from said coil, the inlet pipe projecting beyond said hollow shaft and having a second stuffing box located between it and the adjacent inner wall of said hollow bearing.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

GUSTAV ROTHHOLZ. WILLIAM A. ROTHHOLZ. 

